Gearbox assemblies or mechanisms are widely used to transfer power to an output shaft in many types of electric motors or other rotary devices. For example, gearboxes may be used to change the rotational speed or output torque of an electric motor to be suited for a particular application.
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate examples of different designs for motor gearbox mechanisms. For example, FIG. 1A illustrates a motor and gearbox assembly, comprising a mounting plate 1, one or more inner gear rings (such as a first inner gear ring 2 and a second inner gear ring 3), and a cover 4. One or more gear groups may be configured to rotate within the inner gear rings 2 and 3. The rotations of the gear groups drive an output shaft 5. The mounting plate 1 attaches the gearbox to an electric motor 6. One or more fasteners 7 (e.g., fixing screws, bolts, or pins) are inserted from the output end of the gearbox, and extend through the cover 4, first and second inner gear rings 2 and 3, and mounting plate 1.
A connection to a free end of the output shaft 5 of the motor is used to transfer the rotation of the output shaft to an application, e.g., a fan, wheel, gear, etc. In many applications, in order to avoid damaging bearings associated with the output shaft 5, the connection to the output shaft 5 should be installed first during assembly. However, installation of the connection to the output shaft 5 may interfere with the installation of fasteners 7.
FIG. 1B illustrates another approach for mounting a gearbox to a motor, using a plurality of radial pins 8 to attach gear rings 2 and 3, and to attach the gearbox to the motor 6. However, such a design may be disadvantageous for use in high vibration environments, as vibrations of the device may cause the pins to come out.
Thus, there exists a need for a gearbox assembly that is easy to assemble. In addition, there exists a need for a gearbox assembly with reduced noise and reliability in high vibration environments.